Part 13 (2/2)
”Possible,” returned Mr Wallace, ”but hardly probable They yptian cities, and indeed that would be the only logical explanation of the presence of these things so far west Yes, the tradition e bit of prehistoric African history you've run into, Mac”
”It is that,” rejoined the other ”Well, for a year I've been tryin' to old ankh I got hold o' Tom Reynolds at Cairo, an' put it up to him He called hed at the yarn I tried to find you, but ye'd vanished around Tripoli So at last I came down to tackle the job alone
”When I struck your party, I knew right off that wi' the laddies along ye'd never tackle it Man, I was fair desperate! I determy country, where we are now, an' then put it up to ye There ye are, Wallace Will ye comies won't hurt me, lance at his chu to urge the project
At length Mr Wallace sighed
”You've te better than to make a dash for that place with you--not only for the treasure, but for the discoveries we could make But with the boys here it is io off and leave them in this country If you'd toldstation and made a dash in with you”
”Oh, uncle!” burst out Burt, diso! Cap'n Mac says they won't hurt him; he's a kind o'
God, an' he can fix it so's we'll all--”
”No,” broke in his uncle decisively ”I refuse to take the risk, Burt
No use, lad That's final You'll have to trust to ht,” nodded Montenay dejectedly ”I can't blame ye, Wallace
But do ye understand? Ye won't hold the co to his feet and held out his hand
”Nonsense! Shake, old chap, and forget it!” And the two clasped hands silently, while the boys gave a shout of delight
”I knew it!” cried Burt joyously, dancing around the two ht! Hurray!”
”I wish you'd take us an' get after theh,” put in Critch disconsolately
”I'd certainly like to get hold of that”To say nothing of the ankh!”
”An' to say nothin' o' the ivory an' gold,” laughed Montenay
”But,” cried Burt excitedly, ”why didn't you get after that lion an'
kill hiht away!”
”No,” and Montenay shook his head ”As I told ye, uns, but they were old trade-muskets
None o' them except Mbopo, ood sort He stood by , took care o' me when I was sick wi' fever, cured up my wounds, an' learned to speak passable Scots dialect It was aue”
”That feudal business interests htfully ”Was this Mbopo a chief?”
”I don't know, rightly,” returned the other ”The old witch-doctor was the boss, but Mbopo seee The women o' the place cultivated yams an' plantains, while the men hunted They didn't seem to use poison, like the black dwarfs That's another queer thing
They had poisoned weapons, right enough, but they got supplies o' the stuff from the blacks Ye mind, the Waer tribes Well, these white chaps were parasites on the black dwarfs, near's I could figure it out”
Critch related what had happened on the launch colihed heartily